Blog Posts by Em and Lo

Amy Levine, M.A., is a sexologist and sexuality educator in New York City. She received her Master's Degree in Human Sexuality from New York University, and certification from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. She spent a decade at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States and has written for the excellent Go Ask Alice! website. She makes her home on the web at SexEdSolutions.com.

So what does it mean to be a sexologist-slash-sexuality educator?
It means I've spent years studying the research, learning the facts, keeping up-to-date with new trends and findings in the field, and educating others, making a difference in their lives.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was 12, I wanted to be an interior designer. In college I declared it as my major, and found out the program was being phased out. Now, I'm all about feeling good about my surroundings, and being empowered about sexuality. And,

Remember last year when bloggers everywhere (including, er, us) got all excited that George Clooney was spotted leaving an apartment carrying a purple Liberator Sex Ramp? It was just further proof that Georgie boy is perfect--no sex toy shame for him! And then last night we saw the new Coen Brothers film, Burn After Reading, and realized that he was only shooting a scene (ah, that would explain the strange pants). But we refuse to let go of the dream! Let's start a rumor that George stole that sex ramp from the props room and uses it to this day.

You shouldn't have sex toy shame either! Watch our video about unintimidating, kinky toys.

That said, we're not sure we'll be fantasizing about the other sex toy that has a starring role in Burn After Reading: George's character builds a reclining sex chair in his basement, complete with a mechanical dildo. It's kind of a mad scientist's take on the "sit on this and swivel" insult. Do you know any woman who could actually get off this way?

What do you think about sex in the shower?

Poll: Is Shower Sex Worth the Risk of Soap-Related Injuries?

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• Subscribe to Glamour right now and get an exclusive tote bag free!

A lot of people refuse to talk dirty because they are afraid of sounding stupid. But you don't have to say things out of character, throw around more four-letter words than Gordon Ramsay, or speak in pornographic detail in order to verbally accessorize sex successfully. In fact, you don't have to use a single swear! Sure, that makes the dirty talk a little less dirty, but it's still effective--and with 57 percent less blushing! We never write down actual dirty talk on paper because something invariably gets lost in translation--out of context it does sound stupid. But we're breaking our rule to show you how painless it can be. Think of it as kinder, gentler dirty talk. It's all a bit cliche, but in the moment it works every time. (Can't bring yourself to do it in English? Try Swahili!)

So without further ado, the top ten mid-sesh lines for the lewdly challenged:

1. Familiar: "[Insert partner's name here]. Oh, [insert partner's name here]."
2. Positive: "Yes." (repeat)
3. Directive:

aries (Mar. 21st-Apr. 20th)
Sure, opposites attract, but that doesn't mean they're going to have anything to say to each other while they're spooning after all that hot, opposites-attracting kind of sex. Write this down on a Post-It and stick it on your bathroom mirror, because we can't always be there to say, "I told you so"--no matter how much we enjoy doing so.

taurus (Apr. 21st-May 20th)
You like someone. Frequent the places where this someone hangs out. Make it look coincidental, not obvious. Fate is sexy, stalking isn't.

gemini (May 21st-June 21st)
Someone may try to push you to make a decision regarding a relationship. If you have to think about it, you probably aren't ready to move that fast. Then again, maybe you just haven't had your morning coffee yet and are feeling a little sluggish. Perhaps you have a head cold, or are hungover, and just need time to wake up and smell the roses of romance. Still, chances are you're a selfish, immature b*stard who's afraid to grow up

Advice from our guy friends. This week, they answer the following question:

I'm about to have my first baby--it's a boy. Should I get him circumcised? I've heard it's unnecessary, and may reduce sexual sensation. Clitorectomies are crazy, so sort of the same thing, right? But then what about the dreaded "smegma"? I've also heard that can be a problem in nursing homes, once a guy makes it to that age, and can lead to infection.

Here's what the guys say:

Straight single guy (Colin): I'm glad you've checked out the downsides, but I don't think your son will ever resent you for confiscating his foreskin. Aesthetically, I think my penis looks awesome foreskin-free, but this may be a part of my strong antipathy for turtlenecks of all sorts. It sounds like you'll raise him with an open mind to healthy sexuality and he'll wind up enjoying his sex life regardless.

Em & Lo weigh in with their own thoughts about the circumcision debate.

Gay Committed Guy (Terence): A mother's concern over the

Getty Images
Men's Health has a new feature titled "Is She Dressed for Sex? Decode her outfit to determine if she wants you to take it off." It creepily calls to mind the horrid date-rape defense, "If she wasn't asking for it then why did she dress that way?" Somehow they've managed to wrangle actual psychologists and other impressive-sounding people with doctorates to discuss this topic seriously, with references to the famous 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio that studies have shown drives men wild and the butt-enhancing effect of heels. (You have to click on each outfit in the left hand sidebar to read its "analysis.") Yes, it's true, we women sometimes like to dress sexy. But basically, the article boils down to this reductionist drivel:

Belted Dress or Skirt = I'm an old-fashioned girl who likes you to hold the door open and cover mud puddles with your jacket, and who won't mind eventually being barefoot and pregnant while you visit your mistresses.

Revealing V-Neck Top = My ovaries are slutty

blowguard.jpg
Our intern Kristine deGuzman, a junior at UC Berkeley, and her boyfriend agreed to road test a sex toy sample. He definitely got the better end of the deal.

I'll admit, when I first checked my mailbox and saw that little brown envelope, I couldn't contain my excitement. I carefully ripped it open and pulled out my new sex toy: The Blowguard. It's basically a silicon mouth guard with a little chamber where you can stick a miniature, vibrating bullet. Time to blow my boyfriend's, er, mind...

Video: A trip to Babeland yields demos of unintimidating, kinky toys.

The first thing I noticed about the Blowguard, other than its smooth, fleshy texture, was the fact that this "one size fits all" toy looked like it was going to be too big for my mouth. Sure enough, it fit awkwardly on my upper teeth and wouldn't stay put without some effort. And it took up so much room, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to fit anything else in there (read: my boyfriend's penis).

Also, the small hole where